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Riders of Mistledale
As it happens, several “Captain Baergils” have led the Riders of Mistledale down the years. The most famous is a local legend who died heroically during the Time of Troubles. This Baergil was a former Captain of the Riders at the time of his death, having resigned from the Riders to pursue a holy life as a priest of Tempus. As a Warpriest resident in Mistledale, he sacrificed himself in a mighty magic that called up a ring of skulls that did much to help the sorely-outnumbered defenders of Mistledale defeat the invading Sword of the South army (Sembian mercenaries led by the Zhentarim). There were two Captain Baergils before the famous one, and one since; all are blood-related. The first, Ellusk Baergil, was Captain of the Riders from 1156 DR to 1180 DR, and is remembered as a good, just, and capable man; the second, Horarn Baergil, was Captain for only a few months in 1242 DR before dying in battle against brigands in the forests of eastern Mistledale, and is recalled as a large, blustering, reckless hothead of a man. The fourth and most recent Captain Baergil (if your campaign is set as the Spellplague is fading), is Emrius Baergil, a young, swift-witted, widely-liked man who never forgets a face or name, and is a mediocre soldier but a “natural” as a diplomat and investigator of crimes. He became Captain of the Riders in 1477 DR (when almost twenty-three years of age), and has covertly been training young boys and girls of the dale to be “eyes and ears” who report suspicious sights to the Riders, and keep watch over certain residents and visitors. He is a descendant of Darrask Baergil’s older brother Athror (a florid, successful and therefore wealthy, rather pompous man who owned several mills in northern Sembia; born 1301 DR, died 1391 DR). The famous Captain Baergil was born Darrask Baergil on a farm in Mistledale, just southwest of Ashabenford, in 1302 DR (his parents, Angram and Baelaetha Baergil, were part owners of the farm, and dwelt there for the rest of their lives after they had their family, Angram dying of winter-fever in 1333 DR and Baelaetha of heartstop in 1337 DR; they had seven children, Darrask being the second, and the second of three boys). A good rider and forester from his earliest years, with a love of strategy and an even stronger love of Mistledale, Darrask joined the militia young, and became a Rider of Mistledale in 1321 DR, a year when eleven Riders retired (some of them thanks to debilitating wounds, others from the aches and failings of advancing age). Darrask Baergil rose to become Swordar (then the sole second-in-command of the Riders; in the years since, there have been as many as three Swordars at once, the title shifting to mean something akin to “senior patrol leader”) of the Riders in 1332 DR, upon the death of Swordar Galaerak Darrowman (of an infection after being severely wounded in a winter fight with wolves). In 1335 DR, Darrask Baergil succeeded Ranthorn Hawkhar as Captain of the Riders of Mistledale (after Hawkhar lost his legs, home, and family to murderous house-burning raiders, and was taken by his kin to northern Sembia to live out his last years in their care), a rank Baergil resigned in Mirtul of 1352 DR. As Captain, Darrask Baergil is remembered as a worldly-wise, weatherbeaten man who faced danger calmly, and was customarily polite. He had steel-gray eyes, hair, and moustache (formerly brown), was of average height, had very hairy forearms, and walked in his later years with a slight limp thanks to his right thigh being gored by a boar and subsequently pierced by brigand AND Zhentilar weapons. He ate and dressed simply, having interest in practicality and none at all in fashion, never married but was known to be fast friends with no less than five women of Mistledale and two travelling Harpers who often visited the dale, and if he fathered any children, the folk of Mistledale never learned of them. He liked roast boar drenched in a red wine mushroom sauce, gnome-brewed mint ale from western Sembia, and firewine, but lived simply and customarily ate and drank almost everything. He was never without a sharp belt knife, and loved to whittle small lengths of chain and attached figurines to pass the time (these he gave away to children or acquaintances). He collected maps and scraps of the lore of Mistledale (that he wrote down in small chapbooks). The dancing of elves enthralled him, and he collected fine swords but never used them; long after his death, his kin discovered a Cormanthyrian elfblade (+1 keen longsword) among them. Most who had dealings with Captain Darrask Baergil found him to be a fearless but kindly veteran, a shrewd judge of character and a peerless defender of the dale always alert and prepared for trouble and treachery. As a strategist he was the equal of many a king, but otherwise he was a simple man who loved simple things, that could be summed up (as he once did) as “Mistledale safe, prosperous, and happy.” He was friendly to all but had few close friends. Darrask Baergil could be stern and ruthless when he had to be, and in game terms began as a LN (and drifted to NG, later CG) human male fighter, probably F2 when a junior Rider, F4 when he was Swordar, and up to F7 or F8 by the time he resigned as Captain. After several vivid dreams in which Tempus appeared to him and called upon him, Darrask Baergil retired from the Riders in 1352 DR to apply to Dale-based Warpriests of Tempus to become a priest of Tempus. He was accepted, served with eager diligence despite no longer being young, and rose swiftly in rank and regard among the holy devout of the Wargod. At the time of his death, he was probably (in game terms) a 7th level cleric. (In both his holy and Rider careers, Darrask Baergil’s swift advancement was due to his personal prowess, energy, and character, and the general “busy nonstop adventuring” nature of both lives he led.) I hope this is of help! This was fun but took some time to unearth notes, because it’s been a long time since I’ve looked at Baergil. Category:Organizations in Mistledale